Fishing reels

Abstract

To provide a fishing reel comprising a level wind device having a structure in which line entanglement hardly occurs around a rib provided in a fishing line guide body.SOLUTION: A fishing reel has a level wind device for uniformly winding a fishing line around a spool rotatably supported between right and left side plates of a reel body. The level wind device comprises: a fishing line guide body 20 into which the fishing line is inserted; and a rib 40 provided in the fishing line guide body 20, and for preventing line entanglement. An O-ring 30 is arranged on a cylindrical part 21A of the level wind device so as to fill a gap between the rib 40 and an opposed part 21e of the cylindrical part 21A opposed to the rib. The rib 40 has a shape for sliding the fishing line in contact with the cylindrical part 21A.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a fishing reel having a fishing line guide disposed between side plates in front of the spool for winding and guiding the fishing line onto the spool. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, a double-bearing fishing reel is equipped with a level winding device to evenly wind the fishing line around a spool rotatably supported between left and right side plates. This level winding device has a fishing line guide that moves back and forth from side to side in front of the spool in conjunction with the winding operation of a handle rotatably mounted on one of the side plates. By inserting the fishing line through the fishing line guide, the fishing line can be evenly wound around the spool.

[0003] The above-mentioned fishing line guide has a configuration in which an opening with a wide opening area is formed to reduce resistance when the fishing line is released, and a narrow portion that guides the fishing line when the fishing line is wound, and the fishing line guide is rotated in conjunction with the switching operation of the clutch (for example, Patent Document 1). In this configuration, when the clutch is turned off, the opening is located in front of the spool, so that the fishing line wound on the spool during casting does not encounter significant resistance from the inner surface of the opening of the fishing line guide, making it possible to suppress a decrease in the casting distance of the tackle and perform stable casting. Furthermore, when the clutch is turned back on, the narrow guide portion is located in front of the spool, so the fishing line can be wound evenly onto the spool.

[0004] The fishing line guide is attached to a holder that is movable axially (left and right) relative to the tubular body, which rotates in conjunction with clutch operation, and rotates integrally with the tubular body. The holder is provided with an engagement pin that engages with a spiral groove in a worm shaft disposed within the tubular body, and when the worm shaft is rotated, the fishing line guide can move axially due to the engagement between the spiral groove and the engagement pin.

[0005] Furthermore, in a double-bearing reel with the above-mentioned configuration, it is preferable to have a structure that prevents the fishing line from getting tangled around the fishing line guide. For example, the present patent applicant has manufactured a double-bearing reel that is less likely to tangle the fishing line near the fishing line guide by providing a rib on the fishing line guide to prevent tangles (see Non-Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2014-45 [Non-Patent Document 1] DAIWA FISHING TACKLE 2022, pages 45-48 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] In the above-mentioned double-bearing reel, the rib formed on the fishing line guide allows the fishing line that comes into contact with the surface (front end surface) of the rib to escape and prevent the fishing line from getting tangled, but there is a gap between the underside of the rib and the cylindrical part that holds the engagement pin of the level wind device, and this gap has not been taken into consideration. In other words, when using a thin fishing line, if a line problem such as backlash occurs, the fishing line may form a loop or become twisted, and get caught in the gap and become tangled, which is a situation that cannot be easily resolved.

[0008] The present invention has been made in response to the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a fishing reel having a level wind device with a structure that makes it less likely for the line to become tangled around the rib provided on the fishing line guide. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the fishing reel of the present invention has a level wind device that evenly winds the fishing line around a spool that is rotatably supported between the left and right side plates of the reel body, and the level wind device is equipped with a fishing line guide body through which the fishing line passes and a rib that is attached to the fishing line guide body to prevent the line from getting tangled, and an O-ring is arranged at the front end so as to fill the gap between the rib and the opposing part of the front end of the level wind device that faces the rib, and the rib has a shape that allows the fishing line that comes into contact with the front end to slide.

[0010] In the fishing reel having the above-described configuration, a rib is formed on the fishing line guide through which the fishing line passes, and an O-ring is disposed at the front end of the level wind device so as to fill the gap between the rib and the opposing portion of the front end of the level wind device that faces the rib, thereby preventing the fishing line from getting caught in the gap and effectively preventing line tangles. Furthermore, since the rib has a shape that allows the fishing line to slide when it comes into contact with the front end, line tangles are also effectively prevented at the rib portion. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] According to the present invention, a fishing reel having a level wind device with a structure that makes it difficult for the line to become tangled around the rib provided on the fishing line guide can be obtained. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a fishing reel according to the present invention, seen from the front side; [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing the structure of the fishing line guide portion of the embodiment. [Figure 3] 1A is a partial cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the fishing line guide portion of this embodiment, and FIG. 1B is a front view. [Figure 4] 1A and 1B are partial cross-sectional views showing the fishing line guide portion of a level wind device, in which FIG. 1A shows a conventional structure, and FIG. 1B shows the structure of this embodiment. [Figure 5]1A and 1B are perspective views showing a fishing line guide portion, in which FIG. 1A shows a conventional structure, and FIG. 1B shows the structure of this embodiment. [Figure 6] 4A and 4B are front views showing the fishing line guide portion, where FIG. 4A shows a conventional structure and FIG. 4B shows the structure of this embodiment. [Figure 7] 4A and 4B are views of the fishing line guide portion as seen from above and in front, in which FIG. 4A shows a conventional structure, and FIG. 4B shows the structure of this embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0013] Hereinafter, a fishing reel according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the front-rear direction (front, rear), left-right direction, and up-down direction (up, down) are defined as the directions shown in FIG.

[0014] As shown in Figure 1, the fishing reel according to this embodiment has a reel body 1 equipped with left and right side plates 1A, 1B, which are made up of left and right frames 2a, 2b covered by left and right covers 3a, 3b, respectively. Reel legs that are located between the left and right side plates and are attached to a fishing rod 100 are integrally formed with the reel body 1. A spool shaft is rotatably supported between the left and right frames 2a, 2b via bearings, and a spool 3 around which fishing line is wound is integrally fixed to the spool shaft.

[0015] In this embodiment, the handle 5 that rotates the spool 3 is installed on the left side plate 1A side, and a known power transmission mechanism that transmits the rotational driving force of the handle 5 to the spool shaft is disposed in the space between the left frame 2b and the left cover 3b. A known clutch mechanism that switches the spool shaft between a power transmission state and a power cut-off state is also disposed on one of the side plates. This clutch mechanism switches from a clutch-on state (power transmission state) to an OFF state (power cut-off state) by pressing down a clutch lever 8 disposed between the left and right side plates behind the spool 3. Returning from the clutch-off state to the clutch-on state can be achieved by rotating the handle 5 using a known automatic return mechanism.

[0016] A level wind device 10 is disposed in front of the spool 3 between the left and right side plates 1A and 1B. The level wind device 10 comprises a fishing line guide 20 through which the fishing line wound on the spool 3 is passed, a screw shaft (worm shaft) 11 that is driven to rotate via the driving force transmission mechanism, and a rib 40 provided on the fishing line guide 20, and is configured so that the fishing line guide 20 is driven to reciprocate left and right by engaging with the screw shaft 11.

[0017] The screw shaft 11 is housed in a tubular (cylinder) body 12 that is rotatably held between left and right side plates, and an elongated hole 12a extending in the axial direction is formed on the outer surface of the tubular body 12. A helical groove 11a is formed on the surface of the screw shaft 11, and this helical groove is exposed through the elongated hole 12a. The fishing line guide 20, through which the fishing line is inserted, comprises a holding portion (main body) 21 that is integrally formed from resin or the like, and a fishing line insertion portion 22 that is fixed integrally to the upper part of the holding portion 21 and through which the fishing line is actually inserted, and the holding portion 21 has a through-hole 21a formed in the left-right direction and is disposed and formed so as to surround the tubular body 12.

[0018] The tubular body 12 is driven to rotate by a predetermined angle in accordance with the operation of the clutch lever 8 of the clutch mechanism. Specifically, when the clutch lever 8 is pushed down from the clutch-on state shown in Fig. 1 to the clutch-off state, the tubular body 12 is driven to rotate toward the front (in the direction of arrow D1).

[0019] The holding portion 21 and the tubular body 12 are engaged with each other so that they can rotate together and so that the holding portion 21 can reciprocate left and right along the tubular body 12. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3(a), the tubular body 12 is formed with a plurality of radially protruding protrusions 12b (preferably two radially protruding protrusions 12b), and the holding portion 21 is formed with corresponding recesses 21b so that the protrusions 12b can engage with each other. The engagement of these protrusions 12b with the recesses 21b allows the holding portion 21 to rotate together with the tubular body 12 and, as will be described later, allows the holding portion 21 to reciprocate left and right relative to the tubular body 12. The number, arrangement positions, and shapes of the protrusions 12b and recesses 21b can be modified as appropriate.

[0020] The holding portion 21 has a tubular portion (cylindrical in this embodiment) 21A that protrudes forward and forms the front end of the level wind device 10, and inside it is accommodated an engagement pin 23 that engages with a spiral groove 11a formed on the surface of the screw shaft 11 through a long hole 12a formed in the tubular body 12.

[0021] The engagement pin 23 includes an engagement portion 23a that engages with the spiral groove 11a and a main body 23b that is press-fitted into the cylindrical portion 21A. The engagement pin 23 is configured to be retained while pressed into the cylindrical portion 21A. As shown in Fig. 2, this retaining structure is configured by forming a through-hole 21d in the diameter direction of the cylindrical portion 21A, press-fitting the main body 23b of the engagement pin 23 into the cylindrical portion 21A, and press-fitting the retaining pin 25 while the engagement portion 23a is engaged with the spiral groove 11a. In this embodiment, the hollow portion 23c is formed in the main body 23b to reduce the weight of the engagement pin 23, but the main body 23b may be configured to be solid.

[0022] Furthermore, an O-ring 30 is attached to the cylindrical portion 21A in correspondence with the press-fit position of the retaining pin 25 to prevent the retaining pin 25 from coming out in the radial direction. A fixing groove 21B is formed in the cylindrical portion 21A along the circumferential direction, and the O-ring 30 is fitted into the fixing groove 21B to prevent the pin from coming out of the cylindrical portion 21A.

[0023] The fishing line insertion portion 22 is fixed to the upper surface of the holding portion 21 with a set screw 28 or the like. Similar to the above-mentioned Patent Document 1, the fishing line insertion portion 22 has an opening 22A formed with a wide opening area to reduce resistance when the fishing line is released, and a narrow portion 22B that guides the fishing line when it is wound up, and is made of a material with low fishing line resistance, such as SUS or titanium. When the clutch is turned OFF, the holding portion 21 rotates together with the tubular body 12, and the opening 22A is positioned in front of the spool 3 (fishing line release state), and when the clutch is turned ON, the holding portion 21 rotates in the opposite direction together with the tubular body 12, and the narrow portion 22B is positioned in front of the spool 3 (fishing line guide state).

[0024] With the level wind device 10 configured as described above, when the clutch is turned OFF during casting, the opening 22A, which has a wide opening area, is located in front of the spool. This prevents the released fishing line from encountering significant resistance from the inner surface of the opening 22A, enabling stable casting while suppressing a decrease in the fishing tackle's casting distance. When the clutch is returned to ON, the narrow portion 22B is located in front of the spool (see FIG. 1). When the handle 5 is operated for reeling in this state, the fishing line guide 20 (fishing line insertion portion 22) is driven back and forth in the left-right direction by the engagement pin 23, which engages with the helical groove 11a of the rotatably driven screw shaft 11, so that the fishing line is evenly wound around the spool 3.

[0025] Generally, when a line trouble such as backlash occurs, the fishing line wound on the spool 3 tends to become looped or twisted, and the line tends to become tangled. In particular, in this embodiment, the fishing line guide 20 is driven to rotate, which makes the line prone to becoming tangled. To prevent this, the fishing line guide 20 is provided with a rib 40.

[0026] The rib 40 in this embodiment is plate-shaped and is provided integrally with the center of the holding portion 21 of the fishing line guide body 20. Specifically, a cylindrical portion 21A that houses an engagement pin 23 that engages with the helical groove 11a of the screw shaft 11 is formed to protrude forward at the front of the holding portion 21, and the fishing line is likely to get caught in the gaps and steps in the upper region of the cylindrical portion 21A, causing the line to become tangled. For this reason, the rib 40 is integrally formed in the front center portion of the holding portion 21 so as to protrude forward, in order to prevent the fishing line from getting caught in this area.

[0027] The rib 40 is formed in a shape that allows a fishing line that has caused line trouble or the like to easily slip out (a shape that allows the line to slide in the direction of slipping out) when it comes into contact with the cylindrical portion 21A or its vicinity. When the rib is formed in a plate shape as in this embodiment, the front end edge 40a is made to be inclined so that it approaches the center of the holding portion 21 as it moves from the cylindrical portion 21A side to the upper side (the fishing line insertion portion 22 side) as shown in Figures 2 and 3, making it easier for the fishing line to slip out upward.

[0028] In this embodiment, an O-ring 30 is attached to the cylindrical portion 21A corresponding to the press-fit position of the retaining pin 25 to prevent the retaining pin 25 from coming out in the radial direction. If a gap (gap G) as shown in FIG. 4(a) is formed between the O-ring 30 and the lower surface 40b of the rib 40, the fishing line may get caught in the gap G and become tangled in the event of line trouble or the like. For this reason, the O-ring 30 is configured in relation to the rib 40 to fill the gap between the lower surface 40b of the rib 40 of the cylindrical portion 21A and the opposing portion 21e.

[0029] Regarding the configuration for filling the gap, it is only necessary that fishing line does not enter between the O-ring 30 and the lower surface 40b of the rib 40. Specifically, even if the diameter of the fishing line used is thin, if the gap T shown in Fig. 3(a) is 0.3 mm or less, the fishing line is prevented from entering. In particular, if the O-ring 30 is in a state of contacting the lower surface 40b of the rib 40 (including a state of being crushed: the interval T is 0 mm), the fishing line can be surely prevented from entering.

[0030] In the present embodiment, as described above, a fixing groove 21B for press-fitting and fixing the O-ring 30 is formed along the circumferential direction in the cylindrical portion 21A, so that the O-ring 30 is difficult to come off from the cylindrical portion 21A. Regarding this fixing groove 21B, it is preferable not to form it over the entire circumference of the cylindrical portion 21A, but to form it excluding the region (opposing portion 21e) that becomes the opposing portion of the rib 40. In this way, by not forming a groove in part, the fixing operation of the O-ring 30 can be easily performed, and since there is no fixing groove in the portion where the fishing line is likely to enter, the fishing line is not caught either.

[0031] Also, the opposing portion 21e where the above-described fixing groove is not formed is preferably configured to be flat (forming a flat portion 21e´). Thereby, it is difficult for the fishing line to be caught, and the O-ring 30 can be fixed more easily. In this case, regarding the width W of the flat portion 21e´ where the fixing groove is not formed, if it is too wide, the O-ring 30 is likely to come off, and if it is too narrow, it is difficult to fit the O-ring 30. Therefore, when the diameter of the cylindrical portion 21A is D, it is preferable to set 0.45D < W < 0.65D (see Fig. 3(b)).

[0032] Also, regarding the rib 40, it is preferable that the front edge 40a thereof is formed in a shape such that it is in the same position (in the same plane) as the front edge 21f of the cylindrical portion 21A or in a position behind it.

[0033] In this embodiment, as shown in Figure 3(a), the rib 40 has an inclined shape such that the front edge 40a approaches the center of the holder 21 as it moves upward. With a rib of this configuration, if the most forward position is P, the rib is formed to be rearward of the most forward position P1 of the front edge 21f of the tubular portion 21A (the tubular portion 21A protrudes forward from the front edge 40a of the rib 40). This makes it possible for the fishing line to easily come out even if it becomes tangled in a loop around the tubular portion 21A. Note that the amount of forward protrusion of the tubular portion 21A from the front edge 40a of the rib 40 is preferably 0.3 mm or less so that the tangled fishing line can easily move to the front edge 40a.

[0034] It is also preferable to form a chamfer 21h on the front edge 21f of the cylindrical portion 21A so as to guide the fishing line to the front edge 40a of the rib 40. By forming such a chamfer 21h, even if the fishing line comes into contact with the O-ring 30 or its vicinity, it will be guided toward the front edge 40a of the rib 40 and will come off smoothly. The chamfer 21h only needs to function to release the fishing line, and its width should be 0.3 mm or more. However, if the width is too wide, the cylindrical portion 21A that houses the engaging pin 23 will become thin and its strength will decrease, so it is preferable to keep the width 1.0 mm or less, and more preferably 0.7 mm or less.

[0035] Next, the fishing line guide of the level wind device configured as described above will be compared with a conventional fishing line guide with reference to Figures 4 to 7. In these figures, (a) shows the conventional structure, and (b) shows the structure of this embodiment. The same reference numerals are used for both figures.

[0036] In this embodiment, there is no gap G, as shown in FIG. 4(a), between the O-ring 30 attached to the cylindrical portion 21A and the underside 40b of the rib 40. Instead, the O-ring 30 is disposed relative to the rib 40 so as to fill the gap between the underside 40b of the rib 40 of the cylindrical portion 21A and the opposing portion 21e, as shown in FIG. 4(b). Therefore, even if line trouble occurs during casting, the fishing line will not slip further than the O-ring, preventing tangles. Furthermore, any fishing line that does not slip further will escape upward due to the inclined surface of the front end edge 40a of the rib 40, resulting in a level wind device with a structure that makes it less likely for line tangles to occur around the rib 40 provided on the fishing line guide 20.

[0037] Furthermore, even if the fishing line tries to come into contact with the O-ring 30, in this embodiment, the fixing groove 21B for the O-ring is not formed in the opposing area (facing portion 21e) around the rib 40, which is prone to entanglement of the line, so the fishing line will not get caught on the edge of the fixing groove 21B or between the O-ring 30 and the edge of the fixing groove 21B. Furthermore, since the fixing groove 21B is not formed in a portion, the work of fixing the O-ring 30 can be easily performed.

[0038] Furthermore, even if the fishing line tries to enter the O-ring 30, the formation of the chamfer 21h prevents the fishing line from getting caught, and allows the fishing line to be removed smoothly.

[0039] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and can be modified in various ways.

[0040] The present invention is characterized by the fishing line guide 20 portion of the level wind device 10, and other configurations, such as the size and shape of the reel body and other functional components, are not particularly limited. Also, although the fishing line guide 20 is configured to rotate when the clutch is activated, the fishing line guide may be configured to only reciprocate left and right and not rotate. Also, the configuration of the fishing line insertion portion 22 and the holding structure of the engagement pin that engages with the screw shaft can be modified as appropriate.

[0041] Furthermore, the shape of the rib 40 that prevents line tangles can be modified as appropriate, such as by curving the front edge 40a or changing the thickness, as long as it is configured to prevent the fishing line from getting caught. [Explanation of symbols]

[0042] 1 reel body 1A,1B Left and right side plates 3 spools 10 Level Winding Device 20 Fishing line guide 21 Holding part 21A Cylindrical part 21B Fixed groove 21e Opposite section 21h chamfer 22 Fishing line insertion part 30 O-ring 40 Ribs

Claims

1. A fishing reel having a level winding device that evenly winds fishing line onto a spool rotatably supported between left and right side plates of a reel body, The level wind device includes a fishing line guide for passing the fishing line through, and a rib provided on the fishing line guide for preventing the line from getting tangled, an O-ring is disposed at the front end portion of the level wind device so as to fill a gap between the rib and a facing portion of the front end portion of the level wind device facing the rib; The rib has a shape that allows the fishing line that contacts the front end portion to slide.

2. 2. The fishing reel according to claim 1, wherein a fixing groove into which the O-ring is fitted is formed in the front end portion except for an area that faces the rib.

3. 3. The fishing reel according to claim 2, wherein the area where the ribs face each other is a flat portion.

4. 4. The fishing reel according to claim 3, wherein the O-ring fitted in the fixing groove is fixed in a state of contact with the lower surface of the rib in the area of ​​the flat portion.

5. 2. The fishing reel according to claim 1, wherein the rib is shaped so that its front end edge is at the same position as or rearward of the front end edge of the front end portion of the level wind device.

6. 6. The fishing reel according to claim 5, wherein a front edge of the front end of the level wind device is chamfered to guide the fishing line to the front edge of the rib.

Images